1. Betty Oliphant's father was a lawyer who died within weeks of her birth in a train crash.
10 Facts About Betty Oliphant
1. 2.
Betty Oliphant suffered from pneumonia as a child and her doctor prescribed ballet lessons to help with her breathing.
3.
Betty Oliphant's mother obtained lessons from a Miss Sheen who had been taught by others trained in Russia.
4.
Betty Oliphant studied with Tamara Karsavina, Laurent Novikoff and Marie Rambert.
5.
Betty Oliphant had been trained in the Cecchetti method of classical dance.
6.
Betty Oliphant was known for her strict manner, high standards and insistence on technique.
7.
Betty Oliphant wrote an auto biography where she recounted her difficult private life consoled by her career success.
8.
Betty Oliphant was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1972, "in recognition of her leadership and her service as teacher and administrator of the National Ballet School", and promoted to a Companion of the Order in 1985.
9.
Betty Oliphant was appointed a Member of the Order of Ontario in 2000.
10.
Betty Oliphant died in St Catharines, Ontario at the age of 85.